Millions of Americans Live On Golf Courses That Were Drenched in Paraquat For Decades (Part II)

Golf course maintenance workers, caddies, golfers, and the residents of golf condo communities are at risk of developing Parkinson's disease.

Saturday, October 2, 2021 - The game of golf is played by more than 25 million Americans every week. A high percentage play golf several times per week. Golfers may be at risk of developing Parkinson's disease, a deadly, permanent, and irreversible neurological disorder, as they have come into direct contact with paraquat weedkiller on the course and around the greens during their four to five hour round of golf several times per week. Golfers in warmer climates play golf year-round. The golf season in the northern half of the US lasts around six to nine months before being prohibited by weather. Nonetheless, any direct exposure is too much and can lead to paraquat Parkinson's disease.

Golf course workers, golf property managers, golfers, and golf caddies, in particular, are the most at risk of coming into contact with paraquat. A golf course maintenance worker who has the task of walking the course carrying a now-banned backpack paraquat sprayer could become paraquat-drenched with a slight shift in the direction of the wind. A golf course caddy recently filed a paraquat lawsuit claiming that walking the entire 18-hole golf course twice per day, five days per week, caused him to develop Parkinson's disease. A caddie is a person that is "on the bag" responsible for wiping off the golfer's paraquat-laced golf club head after every swing. Caddies often lick a player's golf balls before cleaning them exposing themselves to the defoliant directly. Caddies touch paraquat directly hundreds of times per round after every shot the golfer takes.

Skeptics that say that it is safe to play on public and private golf courses claim that they no longer spray the deadly weedkiller due to its being banned a few years ago by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The paraquat ban exposed the defoliant for what it is, yet did little to help millions of golfers that played hundreds of millions of rounds of golf during the previous two decades since golf's popularity skyrocketed. More golf courses have opened during the last twenty years than any other sporting venue, each beautifully manicured. The proliferation of paraquat spraying on golf courses parallels the exponential increase in Parkinson's disease. Academic researchers point out that is no coincidence. Millions of people live in condominium neighborhoods interlaced among golf courses and are concerned about paraquat exposure. Herbicide runoff affects the nearby wildlife, lakes, and ponds. Paraquat runoff could contaminate the local drinking water supply. Medium.com wrote a piece back in 2018 titled "Could the golf course greens be poisoning you and your children?" that addressed the problem of herbicide spraying on golf courses. The piece centered around the 1995 report by the New York attorney general's office that stated, "Although course superintendents are exposed to higher levels of chemicals than the average person as an occupational hazard, concerns about pesticide drift affecting nearby residents, particularly children whose developing brains and bodies are extremely susceptible to chemical toxicity, has inspired environmental and health advocacy groups to push for limited pesticide use on courses."

Lawyers for Paraquat Lawsuits

Attorneys handling Paraquat Lawsuits for leukemia, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and multiple myeloma offer free, no-obligation case review for individuals and families who believe they may have grounds to file a paraquat Parkinson's lawsuit. Working on a contingency basis, these attorneys are committed to never charging legal fees unless they win compensation in your paraquat Parkinson's lawsuit. The product liability litigators handling Roundup claims at the Onder Law Firm have a strong track record of success in representing families harmed by dangerous drugs and consumer products.